WELCOME BACK TO THE LIST! Les On Sat, 30 May 1998 16:31:57 +0000 antares writes: > >--------------E642EFD636495CF249A22F84 >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; x-mac-type="54455854"; >x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > > > >Z! Reinhardt wrote: > >> Hi List! >> >> Once again -- I'm looking for insights and details concerning >juices. This >> time I'd like to hear opinions on juices for hardening hammers. >Some of >> the concoctions I've heard about in recent discussions include: >> >> lacquer and lacquer thinner >> lacquer and acetone >> sanding sealer and ... >> collodion and ... ether? >> acrylic (keytops or pellets) and acetone >> vinyl and acetone >> > >André Oorebeek writes: > >Hello Mr. Z! Reinhardt, >>From my experience as a subscriber to this list (and mainly in the >past), I >seem to remember that especially Americans probably have the most >experience >in doping hammers, due to the fact that American hammers are soft from >the >beginning. >My own experience with hammer dopes is limited, because I live in >Europe, and, >as you probably know, European hammermakers produce hardened >hammerheads. >Sometimes, however, a "refelting" might turn out to be a little too >soft in >some sections. In that case a hammerfelt reinforcer is of course >needed. >In the Steinway Factory in Hamburg they check each grand after final >voicing >for "soft spots", and then use lacquer and lacquer thinner (Zarpon >laquer) as >a hardener. It works very well and smells heavenly too! >I personally have mainly used collodium (existing of collodium, ether >and >alcohol), which also is a Steinway recepy. >Collodium is amongst others being used in nail polish as a hardener, >and it >smells pretty awful, like a hospital, because of the ether. >On the other hand, it too works very well as a hammer hardener, and, >it works >VERY fast, and I like the end result very much. >>From what I understood from your American colleagues, icollodium >seems hard to >obtain in your Country. >Here too, it is very hard to get, and it has cost me a considerable >amount of >time, persistence and energy to make the people in the pharmacy nearby >understand that I am not a junky, but instead an "honest" (!) >pianotech. >So..in th end I got it, and they now call me "het collodium >mannetje", >meaning something like "the funny collodium guy"......... haha. > >Nowadays, I must point out to you, there is also available in Germany, >a felt >by the name of "Wurzen Filz". >It originally came from a very old factory in the East of Germany, and >was >used by many very well known pianomakers in "them olden days". After >the >opening up of East Germany, the Renner Factory (and now maybe >others?) was >able to re-produce that very same felt, and it is now being used by >various >piano factories. >The quality is outstanding, the wool fibers are very fine, and the >tone is >richer than most hammers I know of. >It is hardly necessary to do a voicing at all, and sometimes, the >hight treble >may need "some" hammerdope. >This development in "felt land" is remarkable, because it puts us >Europeans >right in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, because we were, and are, >totally >conditioned on voicing hammers down with needles, whereas you >Americans most >often (as far as my limited brain capacity allows me) do it the other >way >around, "juicing up" hammers because they are soft from the start. > >Interesting neh? > >André Oorebeek > > > > > >--------------E642EFD636495CF249A22F84 >Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > > >  > >

Z! Reinhardt wrote: >

Hi List! > >

Once again -- I'm looking for insights and details concerning >juices.  >This >
time I'd like to hear opinions on juices for hardening >hammers.  >Some of >
the concoctions I've heard about in recent discussions include: > >

lacquer and lacquer thinner >
lacquer and acetone >
sanding sealer and ... >
collodion and ... ether? >
acrylic (keytops or pellets) and acetone >
vinyl and acetone >
 

>André Oorebeek writes: > >

Hello Mr. Z! Reinhardt, >
From my experience as a subscriber to this list (and mainly in the >past), I seem to remember that especially Americans probably have the >most >experience in doping hammers, due to the fact that American hammers >are >soft from the beginning. >
My own experience with hammer dopes is limited, because I live in >Europe, >and, as you probably know, European hammermakers produce hardened >hammerheads. >
Sometimes, however, a "refelting" might turn out to be a >little >too soft in some sections. In that case a hammerfelt reinforcer is of >course >needed. >
In the Steinway Factory in Hamburg they check each grand after >final >voicing for "soft spots", and then use lacquer and lacquer thinner >(Zarpon >laquer) as a hardener. It works very well and smells heavenly too! >
I personally have mainly used collodium (existing of collodium, >ether >and alcohol), which also is a Steinway recepy. >
Collodium is amongst others being used in nail polish as a >hardener, >and it smells pretty awful, like a hospital, because of the ether. >
On the other hand, it too works very well as a hammer hardener, >and, >it works VERY fast,  and I like the end result very much. >
From what I understood from your American colleagues, icollodium >seems >hard to obtain in your Country. >
Here too, it is very hard to get, and it has cost me a >considerable >amount of time, persistence and energy to make the people in the >pharmacy >nearby understand that I am not a junky, but instead an "honest" (!) >pianotech. >
So..in th end  I got it, and they now call me "het collodium >mannetje", >meaning something like "the funny collodium guy"......... haha. > >

Nowadays, I must point out to you, there is also available in >Germany, >a felt by the name of "Wurzen Filz". >
It originally came from a very old factory in the East of Germany, >and was used by many very well known pianomakers in "them olden days". >After the opening up of East Germany, the Renner Factory  (and >now >maybe others?) was able to re-produce that very same felt, and it is >now >being used by various piano factories. >
The quality is outstanding, the wool fibers are very fine, >and >the tone is richer than most  hammers I know of. >
It is hardly necessary to do a voicing at all, and sometimes, the >hight >treble may need "some" hammerdope. >
This development in "felt land" is remarkable, because it puts us >Europeans >right in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, because we were, and are, >totally >conditioned on voicing hammers down with needles, whereas you >Americans >most often (as far as my limited brain capacity allows me) do it the >other >way around, "juicing up" hammers because they are soft from the start. > >

Interesting neh? > >

André Oorebeek >
  >
  >
  >
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